About The EIDP

The EIDP is a foundation which is statutory registered in Winschoten, the Netherlands, and was founded
on the 13th of November 2006 by Luc Vocks, Olaf Koens and Leander van Delden.

OUR MISSION

The EIDP sees it as its mission:

To support young Europeans in democratic participation

To serve as a platform where young Europeans can jointly develop and conduct projects that stimulate democratic participation

To promote East-West cooperation

To support and develop civil society

To promote human rights and social inclusion

The projects and network of the EIDP operate’s all over Europe and beyond and gives students in The Netherlands the possibility to see and experience more of Europe and its neighbouring countries and learn about topics and problems that influence the lives of many day by day.

The EIDP is organised as a foundation, but it works as a network. We intend to keep people who participate in our projects active in our network. That means we try to maintain strong ties to the organisations and participants and we stimulate them to initiate their own activities, either local, national or international.

The EIDP is a member of the Anna Lindh Network, is registered at the European Commission’s register of interest representatives and registered at SALTO-YOUTH. The EIDP only establishes seminars and trainings itself and does not have funds to provide other organizations with funding.

OUR METHODS

We are a project-oriented organization trying to bring together young people around particular themes. The projects urge to bring together young Europeans from different backgrounds coming from EU and partnering countries, but not just anyone. They are linked by their enthusiasm for being involved in a thinking and acting process to broaden their views and be enriched by the perspectives of others.

The purpose of the projects is to bring young people from several countries together and let them become more comfortable with culturally, ideologically, ethnically and socially determined differences between people and increase the tolerance towards each other. In addition, the themes of the projects reflect a common concern for European civil society, addressing issues of racism, discrimination, and prejudice.

The EIDP tries to achieve its aims through the following tools:

Seminars throughout Europe funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

These seminars have very diverse topics and are either organized by the EIDP itself or joined as a partner. Trainings aimed to build up capacity for other organisations and individuals, to use their newly gained skills and experiences back home. These trainings are also usually funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

Election observation missions, which aim to observe elections in the neighbouring countries of the European Union unbiased. This is a unique possibility for young people, as they do not only get an insight in the democratic procedures of other countries but also can compare their experiences back home, with the reality in other countries. Exit-polling is also one of the tools used here. These EOMs are a unique feature offered to young people, as the possibility of them joining an OSCE mission is very limited.

Sending experts to different trainings and seminars throughout Europe, to enable a knowledge-transfer to other young people. Themes are diverse and we are always happy to share our knowledge and experiences.

The discussions, debates, cross-country interaction and joint activities by all participants will foster young peoples sense of European citizenship. As they continue to develop joint projects across the whole map of Europe their understanding of their respective roles regarding a common future of Europe through peaceful cooperation and constructive dialogue will also be strengthened.

WHY WORK WITH US?

The EIDP consists of people who have an extensive experience in East-West cooperation. As project managers, we have studied International Relations, Law and History, both with a focus on and a great interest in Eastern Europe, but also for developments in the Euromed Region.

The people in our organisation care deeply about the future of Europe and its inhabitants. The future of Europe ties in with the questions: what about a European Identity? What about the national identities? And in addition; what about people who live in the margins of society? It is our belief that in a modern and democratic Europe everyone should be given the possibility to participate.

Organizations – The EIDP gladly cooperates with (youth) organizations across Europe.The EIDP is a reliable partner for all projects regarding Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Mediterranean. Is your organization ready to jointly develop projects with the EIDP? Contact us!

Individuals – Are you interested in (youth) NGO or project-related work, and would you like to help set up and run projects across Europe? Become an EIDP project manager! Our pan-European network of experts is ready to start working with you! Don’t hesitate, make the difference! Questions? Contact us!

1.A strong core

The board of the EIDP consists of a group of dedicated people who are committed to the EIDP. They have a profound experience, based on long-term residence abroad. Next to that, they have also gained experience working on a wide range of different projects around Europe.

2.A track record. The EIDP has been active for five years and in that period we have acquired an impressive track record.

3. A very substantial network. Our network currently consists of 300+ contacts.

4. Trustworthy. Our organization and its board have a good reputation, both domestically and internationally.

5. We have profound knowledge about funding opportunities, ranging from institutions (Council of Europe, European Commission) to private donors and respectable foundations.